Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry (29 May 1736-6 June 1799) was Governor of Virginia from 5 July 1776 to 1 June 1779 (succeeding Edmund Pendleton and preceding Thomas Jefferson) and again from 1 December 1784 to 1 December 1786 (succeeding Benjamin Harrison V and preceding Edmund Randolph). Henry is most famous for his "Give me liberty, or give me death!" speech on 23 March 1775 during the American Revolution. Henry would later become a leader of the Anti-Federalists and supported the Bill of Rights, but he later joined the Federalist Party under John Adams.

Early life
Patrick Henry was born on 29 May 1736, the son of an immigrant to Virginia from Scotland and a wealthy widow from Hanover County. Henry was tutored by his father and failed in his attempts to have his own businesses, but when he married Sarah Shelton in 1754, he became the owner of the 300-acre Pine Slash Farm and six slaves. Henry would become a lawyer and sold the plantation in 1764, and in 1765 he was elected to the House of Burgesses from Louisa County, becoming involved in Virginian politics as the American Revolution neared.

American Revolution
He assisted in the passage of the Virginia Resolves, which stated that only the state of Virginia could levy taxes and not Parliament, which was seen by loyalists as treason. Henry later said, "Caesar had his Brutus; Charles the First his Cromwell; and George the Third...may he profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it!", an outrageously pro-patriot statement. On 23 March 1775, he made his famous speech in which he stated that he was not a Virginian but an American, and told King George III to give him liberty or give him death. Henry led protests against John Murray, the governor of Virginia, forced him to flee on a ship and leave the colony for good; Henry became the first American governor of Virginia during the American Revolutionary War in 1776. During the war, Virginia was one of the largest bases of the revolution against the British, and he served as governor until 1779.

Post-revolution
On 1 December 1784, he was appointed Governor of Virginia, and he was twice re-elected until 1786. Henry refused to attend the Constitutional Convention, saying that he smelt a pro-monarchy rat in Philadelphia, and he criticized the US Constitution and James Madison, as he supported states rights. However, he later left the anti-Federalists due to Thomas Jefferson's radical policies, comparable to those of the Jacobin Club in the French Revolution, and he sided with the Federalist Party during the American Revolutionary War. Henry died on 6 June 1799 of stomach cancer before he could be sent to France as ambassador.